Legal team clamps down on "leaked footage" and 'Let's Play' videos ahead of release.

Just days away from the release of the new 'Thief,' and Square Enix has found it necessary to enshroud the game with their 'Material Usage Policy.' Specifically, any kind of 'Let's Play' video ahead of release is likely to run afoul of the a Square Enix objection as outlined in this policy. In fact this applies to anything considered pre-release footage. "No Pre-release Footage: Unofficial footage of our games, including leaked footage, may not be posted online prior to the official release date, regardless of how the game or footage was obtained. If you receive an online "strike" by violating this guideline, we may not agree to remove it."

This policy also covers spoilers, though with a less harsh stance, "Spoilers can ruin a player’s game experience, so we ask you not to post them. Walk-through videos are generally ok, but the last hour of any game should not be posted earlier than one week after release."

And then there is the no-commercial use section, which seems to contain some conflicting terms:

"We don’t permit our materials to be used to make money or to gain any other financial benefit. That means you can’t sell our game content as if it were your own, and you can’t use it to help sell other products or services. Similarly, you can’t use Square Enix materials if you require a paid subscription for people to view it or you otherwise make money or some other financial benefit from it. However, we don’t mind if you monetize via advertising through partner programs like YouTube.com, Twitch.tv, Ustream.tv, or similar video sharing services."

While this policy is being referenced for 'Thief,' it's actually used for many Square Enix games, but not the home office games like 'Final Fantasy,' which fall under an even tougher shroud.

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